Effort underway to add station, land to Gettysburg

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation are pushing to add a train station and a 45-acre parcel to Gettysburg National Military Park.

The state’s two U.S. senators and a congressman from the Gettysburg area said Thursday their efforts involve the Lincoln Train Station and land on the park’s southern boundary.

The train station, located in the borough’s downtown, dates to 1858. That’s five years before the Northern army beat back the Confederates in a major turning point of the war. It served as a hospital and key transit point.

The 45-acre parcel was the scene of cavalry clashes and includes environmentally sensitive wetlands. Lawmakers said its current owner, the Gettysburg Foundation, plans to donate the property to the park once it’s included within the park boundaries.